Catch Them All: Exploring the Psychological Impact of Playing Pokémon Go
Open accessAbstract
Using the self-determination theory, this study examined the relationship between seven Pokémon GO features and three psychological outcomes – sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being. Results showed frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with the Pokémon led to increased sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being. In addition, sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationship between frequency of using these five Pokémon GO features and psychological well- being respectively.
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
Using self-determination theory, this survey of 274 Pokémon GO players finds that several game features are linked to sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being, with community and companionship mediating some of these links. Collecting and customizing Pokémon were the features most directly tied to well-being, while upgrading Pokémon and using special items showed no impact on the three outcomes.
Key findings
- Sense of community was positively associated with collecting Pokémon (β = .14, p < .05), performing gym activities (β = .19, p < .01), and purchasing special items (β = .31, p < .001); the final model explained 36.2% of variance.
- Sense of companionship was positively associated with performing gym activities (β = .20, p < .01), purchasing special items (β = .26, p < .001), customizing Pokémon (β = .16, p < .01), and taking pictures of Pokémon (β = .15, p < .05); the final model explained 36.6% of variance.
- Psychological well-being was positively associated with collecting Pokémon (β = .25, p < .001) and customizing Pokémon (β = .13, p < .05); the final model explained 21.9% of variance. Mediation analyses showed sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationships for gym activities and purchasing special items; taking pictures and customizing operated via companionship only, while collecting operated via community only. Only collecting Pokémon had a significant direct effect on psychological well-being.
- Upgrading Pokémon and using special items did not have any impact on the three psychological outcomes.
Methods
- An online Qualtrics survey was conducted in summer 2016 with 274 Pokémon GO players recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk; a filter question screened for prior play, and participants received 50 cents. The sample was 120 females (43.8%) and 154 males (56.2%), ages 18–60 (M = 30.6, SD = 8.86), 81.8% White and 10.2% Asian, with average daily play of 52 minutes (SD = 65.7).
- Frequency of seven Pokémon GO features was measured on a seven-point Likert scale. Sense of community was measured with 9 items (α = .95), sense of companionship with 25 items (α = .98), and psychological well-being with 29 items (α = .98).
- Hierarchical multiple regression tested the first three hypotheses, controlling for race, education, gender, and age. Mediation was tested with Hayes’ PROCESS Macro model 4 using 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals and 2,000 bootstrap resamples.
Limitations
- Stated by the paper: the sample size was relatively small; participants were mostly White and Asian, with Blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos not represented; and the study focused on Pokémon GO players, who may have high issue involvement toward gaming, so future work should recruit gamers and non-gamers and measure issue involvement.
- Evident from the text: the cross-sectional survey design cannot establish causal direction, all key measures are self-report, and the MTurk sample from summer 2016 may limit generalizability beyond that early Pokémon GO context.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
2 of 28 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured
- Premisecitation
Sense of companionship can be obtained through interacting with a virtual pet.
“Sense of companionship can also be obtained through interacting with a virtual pet (Chesney & Lawson, 2007;Lawson & Chesney, 2007;Li & Luh, 2017).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 3 sources checked - Findingown data
Frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with Pokémon led to increased psychological well-being.
“Results showed frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with the Pokémon led to increased sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
The final regression model for sense of community accounted for a total of 36.2% of the variance, F(11, 262) = 13.49, p < .001.
“The final model accounted for a total of 36.2% of the variance in the dependent variable, F(11, 262) = 13.49,p < .001.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with Pokémon led to increased sense of community.
“Results showed frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with the Pokémon led to increased sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Control variables (race, education, gender, and age) accounted for 2.9% of the variance in sense of community, F(4, 269) = 2.01, p = .09.
“In step one, control variables (race, education, gender, and age) accounted for 2.9% of the variance, F(4, 269) = 2.01, p = .09.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
- Findingown data
Frequency of collecting Pokémon, engaging in gym activities, and purchasing special items have significant unique impacts on individuals' sense of community after controlling for age, gender, education, and race.
“Frequency of collecting Pokémon, engaging gym activities, and purchasing special items have significant unique impacts on individuals' sense of community after controlling for age, gender, education, and race.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In the regression model for sense of community, adding the seven Pokémon GO feature frequency variables accounted for an additional 33.2% of the variance.
“Adding independent variables to step two accounted for additional 33.2% of the variance, Fchange(7, 262) = 19.49,p < .001.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Sense of community mediated the relationship between frequency of using the five Pokémon GO features (collecting, customizing, performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures) and psychological well-being.
“In addition, sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationship between frequency of using these five Pokémon GO features and psychological wellbeing respectively.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Sense of companionship mediated the relationship between frequency of using the five Pokémon GO features (collecting, customizing, performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures) and psychological well-being.
“In addition, sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationship between frequency of using these five Pokémon GO features and psychological wellbeing respectively.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with Pokémon led to increased sense of companionship.
“Results showed frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with the Pokémon led to increased sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Frequency of engaging gym activities, purchasing special items, customizing Pokémon, and taking pictures of Pokémon were positively associated with sense of companionship.
“The final model indicated that frequency of engaging gym activities, purchasing special items, customizing Pokémon, and taking pictures of Pokémon were positively associated with individuals' sense of companionship (see Table 1).”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Another finding showed frequency of performing gym-related activities, purchasing special items, customizing Pokémon, and taking pictures of Pokémon positively predicted sense of companionship.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
- Findingown data
Independent variables together accounted for 19.8% of variance in psychological well-being.
“The last set of regression analysis indicated that independent variables together accounted for 19.8% of variance in psychological well-being with Fchange(7, 262) = 9.47, p < .001.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Adding independent variables accounted for an additional 32.8% of the variance in sense of companionship.
“Adding independent variables accounted for additional 32.8% of the variance (Fchange(7, 262) = 19.39,p < .001)”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingreasoning
The more frequent Pokémon GO gamers collect Pokémon, perform gym-related activities, and purchase special items, the more they feel they belong to the Pokémon GO gaming community.
“One major finding of the study is that the more frequent Pokémon GO gamers collect Pokémon, perform gym-related activities, and purchase special items, the more they feel that they belong to the Pokémon GO gaming community.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Among the five independent variables, only frequency of collecting Pokémon had a significant direct effect on psychological well-being.
“Lastly, among the five independent variables, only frequency of collecting Pokémon had a significant direct effect on the outcome variable”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingreasoning
Two Pokémon GO features (upgrade Pokémon and use special items) did not have any impact on the three psychological outcomes.
“Two Pokémon GO features (upgrade Pokémon and use special items) did not have any impact on the three psychological outcomes”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Frequency of collecting Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were positively associated with psychological well-being.
“Frequency of collecting Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were positively associated with individuals' psychological well-being (see Table 1).”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Frequency of collecting Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were also shown as positive predictors of psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
- Findingown data
Frequency of taking pictures of Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were positively associated with psychological well-being only via an enhanced sense of companionship.
“Frequency of taking pictures of Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were positively associated with players' psychological well-being only via an enhanced sense of companionship.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
Sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationships between frequency of gym activities and purchasing special items and psychological well-being.
“The findings indicated that sense of community and sense of companionship mediated the relationships between frequency of gym activities and purchasing special items and the dependent variable, psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
The final model accounted for a total of 21.9% of variance in psychological well-being.
“With all variables entered, the final model accounted for a total of 21.9% of variance in the dependent variable (F(11, 262) = 6.68, p < .001).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The positive relationship between frequency of collecting Pokémon and psychological well-being was mediated only by sense of community.
“In contrast, the positive relationship between frequency of collecting Pokémon and psychological well-being was mediated only by sense of community (see Table 2).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
The final model explained 36.6% of the variance in sense of companionship.
“which generated the final model that explained 36.6% of the variance in the dependent variable (F(11, 262) = 13.77,p < .001).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The mediation analyses showed that sense of community and sense of companionship were two parallel mediators between frequency of using some Pokémon GO features, including collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, taking pictures of Pokémon, participating in Pokémon gym activities, and purchasing special items, and individuals' psychological well-being.
“The mediation analyses showed that sense of community and sense of companionship were two parallel mediators between frequency of using some Pokémon GO features, including collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, taking pictures of Pokémon, participating in Pokémon gym activities, and purchasing special items, and individuals' psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Frequently performing gym-related activities can bring more companionship to Pokémon GO players.
“Hence, frequently performing gym-related activities can bring more companionship to Pokémon GO players.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: When Pokémon GO players perform gym-related activities, they usually need to accomplish this task with their teammates.
- Interpretationreasoning
Consistent with previous Pokémon GO studies, this finding further points out the specific features of Pokémon GO that lead to increased psychological well-being.
“Consistent with previous Pokémon GO studies (e.g., Bonus et al., 2018), this finding further points out the specific features of Pokémon GO that lead to the increased psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Bonus et al., 2018
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisecitation
Research has shown that sense of companionship can be obtained via interacting with virtual pets.
“Research has also shown that sense of companionship can be obtained via interacting with the virtual pets (i.e.Chesney & Lawson, 2007).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Chesney & Lawson, 2007 source
- Premisecitation
Research has shown that playing with peers can offer people a higher level of sense of companionship compared with playing by oneself.
“Research has shown that playing with peers can offer people a higher level of sense of companionship compared with playing by oneself (Parker & Asher, 1993).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Parker & Asher, 1993
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Interpretationreasoning
Performing gym-related activities may offer Pokémon GO gamers a sense of community because gamers in the same group need to get together to defeat or defend the gym.
“Performing gym-related activities may offer Pokémon GO gamers a sense of community in that Pokémon GO gamers in the same group need to get together to defeat or defend the gym.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: When Pokémon GO players perform gym-related activities, they usually need to accomplish this task with their teammates.
- Interpretationown data
Customizing and taking pictures of Pokémon would lead to higher levels of sense of companionship and subsequently better psychological well-being.
“On the one hand, customizing and taking pictures of Pokémon would lead to higher levels of sense of companionship and, subsequently, better psychological well-being”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Among the seven Pokémon GO features, curation behavior and customization behavior offer more psychological benefits, such as increased sense of companionship and increased sense of community compared with other features.
“Among the seven Pokémon GO features, the curation behavior and the customization behavior offer more psychological benefits, such as providing increased sense of companionship and increased sense of community compared with other features”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Study design and conductnone given
The sample size is relatively small.
“The major limitation of the study is that the sample size is relatively small.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationown data
Collecting behavior, the main game feature, could directly enhance psychological well-being, in addition to the mediation path.
“indicating that the collecting behavior, which is the main game feature, could directly enhance psychological well-being, in addition to the mediation path”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationcitation
Since Pokémon can be considered a form of virtual pets, frequent interaction between Pokémon GO players and Pokémon can bring more sense of companionship to players.
“Since Pokémon can also be considered as a form of virtual pets, it makes sense that the frequent interaction between the Pokémon GO players and the Pokémon can bring more sense of companionship to the Pokémon GO players.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Pokémon can be considered a form of virtual pets.
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 19
- May combine two claims. 16
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationOnline gamers usually have a sense of community when they are playing games or modifying games.
“Gaming literature showed online gamers usually have a sense of community when they are playing games (O'Connor, Longman, White, & Obst, 2015) or modifying games (Poor, 2013).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked- cites O'Connor, Longman, White, & Obst, 2015 source
The Results report that all interviewed participants experienced a sense of community associated with playing World of Warcraft. That supports the playing-games portion attributed to O’Connor et al., but the study’s WoW participants do not establish that online gamers generally or usually have this experience. The modifying-games portion is cited to Poor (2013), not this source. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured - cites Poor, 2013 source
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Findingown dataControl variables together accounted for 2.4% of the variance in the sense of companionship.
“Control variables together accounted for 2.4% of the variance in the sense of companionship (F(4, 269) = 2.67, p = .03).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationSelf-determination theory holds that individuals have three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
“The primary proposition of self-determination theory is that individuals hold three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2000).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Ryan & Deci, 2000
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataSense of companionship was measured with 25 items adopted from the companionship for artificial pets scale (Luh, Li, & Kao, 2014) and had a Cronbach's alpha of .98.
“Sense of companionship (M = 3.5, SD = 1.34,Cronbach's a = .98)was measured by 25 items on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree) adopted from the companionship for the artificial pets scale (Luh, Li, & Kao, 2014).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Luh, Li, & Kao, 2014
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Study design and conductown dataThe regression analyses controlled for race, education, gender, and age.
“Four demographic variables, race (dummy coded), education (dummy coded), gender, and age, were entered as control variables on an initial step”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataPsychological well-being was measured with 29 items from Hills and Argyle (2001) and had a Cronbach's alpha of .98.
“Psychological well-being (M = 4.62, SD = 1.15,Cronbach's a = .98)was measured using 29 items on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree) from Hills and Argyle (2001).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Hills and Argyle (2001)
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataSense of community was measured with nine items adopted from Peterson, Spear, and McMillan (2008) and had a Cronbach's alpha of .95.
“Sense of community (M = 4.00, SD = .91,Cronbach's a = .95)was measured by nine items adopted from Peterson, Spear, and McMillan (2008) on a seven-point Likert scale”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Peterson, Spear, and McMillan (2008)
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningThese two features will not impact sense of community and sense of companionship nor would they influence psychological well-being.
“Thus, these two features will not impact sense of community and sense of companionship nor would they influence psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Sense of companionship and sense of community belong to the need in relatedness.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.
PremisecitationCatching Pokémon and winning battles are two major motivations for playing Pokémon GO.
“Another study also identified catching Pokémon and winning battles as the two major motivations for playing Pokémon GO (Zach & Tussyadiah, 2017).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Zach & Tussyadiah, 2017 source
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationSense of companionship can be obtained through interacting with a virtual pet or a socially assistive robot.
“Sense of companionship can be obtained through interacting with a virtual pet (Chesney & Lawson, 2007) or a socially assistive robot (Fasola & Mataric, 2012).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductreasoningThe study's focus on Pokémon GO players is a limitation.
“Another limitation of the study is that its focus on Pokémon GO players.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningCollecting Pokémon can offer Pokémon GO players a sense of community, while customizing Pokémon can offer Pokémon GO players a sense of companionship.
“Collecting Pokémon can offer Pokémon GO players a sense of community, while customizing Pokémon can offer Pokémon GO players a sense of companionship.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningThese two features were likely designed to increase the entertaining and enjoyment aspect of the game; they may fulfill the need in competence.
“likely that these two features were designed to increase the entertaining and enjoyment aspect of the game; these two features may fulfill the need in competence.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningSense of community and sense of companionship are two precursors of psychological well-being, so frequency of collecting and customizing Pokémon will lead to increased psychological well-being.
“Sense of community and sense of companionship are two precursors of psychological well-being, so it makes sense that frequency of collecting and customizing Pokémon will lead to increased psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Sense of community and sense of companionship are two precursors of psychological well-being.
May combine two claims.
InterpretationcitationThe finding corroborates previous findings of positive effects of online game playing and modification on sense of community and extends the knowledge to an AR mobile game context.
“It also corroborates the previous findings of the positive effects of online game playing (O'Connor et al., 2005) and modification (Poor, 2013) on sense of community and extends the knowledge to an AR mobile game context.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites O'Connor et al., 2005
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Poor, 2013 source
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationPrevious studies in online community context indicated that community building and participation were positively associated with individuals' sense of community.
“This finding is consistent with the results of previous studies in the context of online community, which indicated that community building (Wang et al., 2016) and participation (Tonteri et al., 2011) were positively associated with individuals' sense of community.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductnone givenThe major participants were Whites and Asians; Blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos were not represented.
“The major participants were Whites and Asians.Blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos were not represented.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Interpretationown dataThis study contributes to the literature on psychological impact of playing mobile AR games by showcasing the linkage between specific game features and psychological outcomes.
“Theoretically, it contributes to the literature on psychological impact of playing mobile AR games by showcasing the linkage between specific game features and psychological outcomes.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningCollecting Pokémon and purchasing special items may also rely on group work.
“Similarly, collecting Pokémon and purchasing special items may also rely on the group work.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
PremisecitationSense of community and sense of companionship are concepts closely associated with relatedness.
“Sense of community and sense of companionship are concepts closely associated with relatedness as they are all dealing with one's feeling of being involved in a social environment (Ryan & Deci, 2000).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Ryan & Deci, 2000
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
PremisecitationPlaying Pokémon GO is associated with increased psychological well-being.
“A previous study showed playing Pokémon GO was associated with increased psychological well-being (Bonus et al., 2018).”
- Also stated in: § Psychological Well-being · plain
“Recent Pokémon GO studies also detected the positive linkage between playing Pokémon GO and psychological well-being (Oleksy & Wnuk, 2017;Bonus et al., 2018;Zach & Tussyadiah, 2017).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked- Also stated in: § Psychological Well-being · plain
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationPrevious literature shows sense of community is the mediator between personal journaling and autonomy.
“Previous literature shows sense of community is the mediator between personal journaling and autonomy (Stavrositu & Sundar, 2013).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Stavrositu & Sundar, 2013
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningMore frequently collecting Pokémon heightens players' sense of community, which would lead to better psychological well-being.
“on the other hand, more frequently collecting Pokémon heightens players' sense of community, which would lead to better psychological well-being.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationInteracting with a socially assistive robot could enhance sense of companionship.
“Previous literature suggests interacting with a socially assistive robot could enhance sense of companionship (Birnbaum, Mizrahi, Hoffman, Reis, Finkel, & Sass, 2016;Fasola & Mataric, 2012).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checkedMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationSense of community and sense of companionship are antecedents of psychological well-being.
“Previous literature indicates sense of community and sense of companionship are antecedents of psychological well-being (Ryff & Singer, 1996).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Ryff & Singer, 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationResearch has shown that sense of companionship can provide psychological satisfaction, which may facilitate building the long-term relationship.
“Research has shown that sense of companionship can provide psychological satisfaction, which may facilitate building the long-term relationship (Mival & Benyon, 2007).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Mival & Benyon, 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
The paper relies on this without support.
All seven Pokémon GO features are frequently used by Pokémon GO players.
“All seven features are frequently used by Pokémon Go players.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Pokémon GO is a community-based game.
“Pokémon Go is a community-based game.”
The paper relies on this without support.
When Pokémon GO players perform gym-related activities such as winning a battle in a gym, they need to cooperate with other Pokémon GO players to achieve this goal.
“When Pokémon GO players are performing gym related activities such as winning the battle in a gym, they need to cooperate with other Pokémon GO players to achieve this goal.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Some Pokémon GO players like to collect Pokémon with a group of players instead of playing alone.
“In addition, some Pokémon GO players like to collect Pokémon with a group of players instead of playing alone”
The paper relies on this without support.
A sense of community and a sense of companionship are two major psychological benefits of playing mobile augmented reality games.
“Meanwhile, a sense of community and a sense of companionship are two major psychological benefits of playing mobile augmented reality games.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Pokémon GO's function allowing players to choose a Pokémon as their partner is an example of the companionship function of Pokémon GO.
“Pokémon GO's recent new function -allowing players to choose a Pokémon as their partner so that the player and the partner Pokémon can catch Pokémon together -is another example of the companionship function of Pokémon GO.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Other frequently used Pokémon GO features, such as customizing Pokémon and taking pictures with Pokémon, are understudied.
“However, besides these two motivations, other frequently used Pokémon GO features, such as customizing Pokémon and taking pictures with Pokémon, are understudied.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Sense of community and sense of companionship are understudied in previous Pokémon GO studies.
“These two concepts are understudied in previous Pokémon GO studies.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The behaviors of customization, taking pictures, and purchasing special items were intended by players to build a long-term relationship with the Pokémon.
“The behaviors of customization, taking pictures, and purchasing special items were all intended to build a long-term relationship with the Pokémon.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Pokémon can be considered a form of virtual pets.
“Since Pokémon can also be considered as a form of virtual pets”
The paper relies on this without support.
Customizing and taking pictures with Pokémon are typical interaction behaviors between Pokémon GO players and the Pokémon.
“Customizing and taking picture with Pokémon are typical interaction behaviors between the Pokémon GO players and the Pokémon.”
The paper relies on this without support.
When Pokémon GO players perform gym-related activities, they usually need to accomplish this task with their teammates.
“When Pokémon GO players perform the gym-related activities, they usually need to accomplish this task with their teammates.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Sense of community and sense of companionship are two precursors of psychological well-being.
“Sense of community and sense of companionship are two precursors of psychological well-being”
The paper relies on this without support.
Sense of companionship and sense of community belong to the need in relatedness.
“However, both sense of companionship and sense of community belong to the need in relatedness.”
Statistics recomputed
Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.
- ConsistentF(4, 269) = 2.01reported p = .09 · recomputed p = .093
“F(4, 269) = 2.01, p = .09”
- ConsistentF(11, 262) = 13.49reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001
“F(11, 262) = 13.49,p < .001”
- ConsistentF(4, 269) = 2.67reported p = .03 · recomputed p = .033
“F(4, 269) = 2.67, p = .03”
- ConsistentF(11, 262) = 13.77reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001
“F(11, 262) = 13.77,p < .001”
- ConsistentF(11, 262) = 6.68reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001
“F(11, 262) = 6.68, p < .001”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Abstract overstates which outcomes the five features predict
MajorThe abstract says the listed features increased all three outcomes. Table 1, for example, shows taking pictures of Pokémon significantly predicts companionship but not community or psychological well-being.
“Results showed frequency of collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, performing gym related activities, purchasing special items, and taking pictures with the Pokémon led to increased sense of community, sense of companionship, and psychological well-being.”
“| Take Pictures of Pokémon | 0.07 | 0.15* | 0.09 |”
Discussion describes both mediators for features with only one mediation path
MinorThe discussion describes community and companionship as two parallel mediators for a list that includes collecting and customizing Pokémon. The results instead say collecting was mediated only by community, while customizing was mediated only by companionship.
“The mediation analyses showed that sense of community and sense of companionship were two parallel mediators between frequency of using some Pokémon GO features, including collecting Pokémon, customizing Pokémon, taking pictures of Pokémon, participating in Pokémon gym activities, and purchasing special items, and individuals' psychological well-being.”
“Frequency of taking pictures of Pokémon and customizing Pokémon were positively associated with players' psychological well-being only via an enhanced sense of companionship.In contrast, the positive relationship between frequency of collecting Pokémon and psychological well-being was mediated only by sense of community (see Table 2).”
Companionship model variance does not add up
MinorThe reported 2.4% explained by controls plus the additional 32.8% explained by game features totals 35.2%, not the reported final-model value of 36.6%.
Reported 36.6 · recomputed 35.2
“Control variables together accounted for 2.4% of the variance in the sense of companionship (F(4, 269) = 2.67, p = .03).Adding independent variables accounted for additional 32.8% of the variance (Fchange(7, 262) = 19.39,p < .001),which generated the final model that explained 36.6% of the variance”
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Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
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- Wang, R., & Wu, M. (2020). Catch them all: Exploring the psychological impact of playing Pokémon Go. Journal of Communication Technology, 3(1), 53-72. DOI: 10.51548/joctec-2020-004
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Koh, G. K., Low, K. M. Y., Ali, S., Cheng, H. S., & Ang, I. Y. H. (2026) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/89235 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wang, R., & Wu, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Memphis (US)
- California State University Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Ruoxu
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Communication Technology
- Publisher
- Journal of Communication Technology
- Published
- 2020
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2694-3883 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3134281441
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- Journal of Communication Technology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Keywords
- Pokémon Go, augmented reality games, self-determination theory, sense of community, psychological well-being, game features, mediating effect, mobile games
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